PHOTOS: Birthplace of the Pride Parade celebrates its queer community

Updated on October 2, 2023

In 1970, America’s various LGBTQ+ communities debated on how to commemorate the anniversary of the now-historic Stonewall Riots. While New York and San Francisco opted for somber protest marches, Los Angeles desired something bigger, grander, and more unique. Thus was the genesis of the world’s first Pride Parade.

Gaining a permit for this event wasn’t easy. Edward Davis, chief of the notoriously homophobic Los Angeles Police Department highly resisted the then-unimaginable notion of queer people openly parading in public.

“As far as I’m concerned,” said Davis, “granting a permit to a group of homosexuals to parade down Hollywood Boulevard would be the same as giving a permit to a group of thieves and robbers.”

Participants in this year's LA Pride Parade. — Participants in this year’s LA Pride Parade.

Despite this opposition, the organizer of the parade Christopher Street West was able to obtain the proper permits and introduce the concept of the Pride Parade to not only Southern California, but to the world. According to The Advocate, “Over 1000 homosexuals and their friends staged, not just a protest march, but a full-blown parade down world-famous Hollywood Boulevard,” complete with floats, performances, and drag queens. That inaugural Pride Parade soon became a template for LGBTQ+ celebrations across the globe.

Due to continued harassment from the LAPD, the parade route was moved to the area that would eventually become the gayborhood of West Hollywood in 1979. LA’s queer community had long sought refuge in this unincorporated part of the city because it was under the purview of the far more benign LA Sherriff’s Department. In 1984, a diverse coalition of LGBTQ+ Angelenos, retirees, and Latinos banded together to found the City of West Hollywood, and shortly after the parade evolved into a weekend-long celebration complete with its own festival and live performances which continues to this day.

While the LA Pride Parade initially served as a foil to New York and San Francisco’s protest marches, it too has embraced its own political messages over the years. In response to Donald Trump’s ascent to the presidency, the 2017 parade was rebranded as the Resist March, featuring high-profile entertainers and politicians such as Chris Rock, Margaret Cho, Maxine Waters, and Nacy Pelosi. After a 2-year COVID-19 hiatus, the parade returned to its original Hollywood Blvd route in 2022.

For those who missed this year’s festivities, we’ve snatched some of our favorite moments from this year’s LA Pride Parade.

Photographs by Mike Ciriaco

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PHOTOS: Birthplace of the Pride Parade celebrates its queer community

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